This blog is a result of the heavy censoring of the media by the military dictatorship regime.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Civil servants miss one week's pay to get '10k' increase

Civil servants are due to get salary hikes to $10,000 tomorrow but not all are welcoming the increase.

Some say the decision to put everyone on the same pay scale penalises those already on 10k.

One worker told us: "To bring all civil servants to $10,000 with those who deserve it and been on that for
years is unfair.

"Those who are currently sitting on 10k, they work hard and by merit deserve that salary scale. But now
they will sit on the same level as those who don't deserve to be getting
that much."

The regime announced the increase for 1,663 civil servants in its recent budget adding there would also be a 10 per cent pay rise for 2,878
government wage earners, with performance-based
bonuses throughout the civil service, although these will not be paid until 2014.

It said the pay gestures should kick in on January 1 and recognises the skills on those in the public service and should stop them from leaving for the private sector.

But one civil servant says while they received their final pay for 2012 in December, and were supposed to get the first of the new salary on January 3 they will not be paid until tomorrow, January 10, thereby missing one week's pay.

Looks like (a large number of) civil servants have to live below the poverty line while their unelected masters and their overpaid PS's fatten themselves from the trough that was once the sacred "national coffer".

Rajendra Chaudhry uses Mahatma Gandhi Ji picture on his profile on Facebook. Rajen you are no Gandhi ji. This is an insult to a great gentleman who stood for truth, Respect, Humbleness, and fought for the rights of Indians against British. You are nothing close to Gandhi Ji. Your father or you don't come close to his principles.

Please do not insult a great human that genuinely cared for his people. You and your dad only care for yourselves and your pocket. I humbly ask of you to remove the picture.

"Ferdinand Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos revealed his plans for economic development and government reform. Marcos wanted the immediate construction of roads, bridges and public works, which included 16,000 kilometers of feeder roads, some 30,000 lineal meters of permanent bridges, a generator with an electric power capacity of one million kilowatts (1,000,000 kW), and water services to eight regions and 38 localities.[citation needed] He also urged the revitalization of the judiciary, the national defense posture and the fight against smuggling, criminality, and graft and corruption in the government.[citation needed]

To accomplish his goals “President Marcos mobilized the manpower and resources of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for action to complement civilian agencies in such activities as infrastructure construction; economic planning and program execution; regional and industrial site planning and development; community development and others.”[12][unreliable source?] The employment of technocrats in key positions and the mobilization of the AFP for civic actions resulted in the increasing functional integration of civilian and military elites." Marcos did all that but still stole billions of dollars with his wife....isnt the Baini doing the same??????

The Stamp Duty (Amendment) Decree 2012 is now in effect with a few significant increases.

Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama had announced a review of stamp duty rate in the 2013 National Budget Address and these changes have now been enacted in the Stamp Duty (Amendment) Decree 2012.

The Decree shows that a number of rates and amounts of Stamp Duty have increased.

However any person who buys a house for the first time shall be conditionally exempted from paying stamp duty.

Under the Decree, upon every power or letter of attorney whether executed in or out of Fiji will now cost $100.

Duty rates for policies of general insurance over property such as land and buildings have increased from 5 cents per $100 of cover to 18 cents per $100 of cover, except for residential properties where the value of the property is $150,000 or less, then 6 cents per $100 of cover will be charged.

Increases in nominal stamp duties include Duty on a deed of settlement increased to $50 from the previous $10 applying to a deed.

A copy or duplicate of any document will now cost duty of $5 instead of $1. A discharge of a mortgage, mortgage debenture or bill of sale will attract stamp duty of $10 instead of $1 while Stamp duty on a guarantee will be $100 which was $10 previously.

The lease or agreement for a lease or any written document for the tenancy or occupancy of any land for agricultural purpose including dairy will cost $100 stamp duty, $1000 for commercial purposes while for residential purposes, the stamp duty charge will be $100 where Housing Authority is a lessee, for residential leases not issued by the Housing Authority stamp duty is $500 and $1500 for tourism or Audio visual purposes.

Why are they not being paid ? Sa evei nai lavo Voreqe ? dou sa qamuta kece tiko?.What about the 30 dead sharks that beached on Nukulau Island? Who killed them? Can someone give the answer to that.Dead sharks, very very rare and scarery, no other fish were dead only the sharks.

the government made promises to ECE teachers and now they are neglecting them...All statements in the Fiji times were false especially by Dr.Brij Lal that all Kindy teachers will get a pay increase effective from Jan 2013..Why are they misleading us???

The title isnt really correct. They are not getting a $10K increase. The workers receiving less than $10K will have their salaries increased to $10K. This means workers currently on $7K a year will get a $3K increase, etc. And those alreeady on $10K get nothing. This is vote buying...big time!

Homeless and hopeless in the aftermath of Cyclone Evan last month, a family of Seniyaya Place in Lautoka can finally escape the distress of uncertainty after Government finished rebuilding their house at the weekend. Madhu Lata and Shiu Sami were forced to shelter with neighbours with their three children after their single bedroom corrugated iron house crumbled to the force of Evan on December 17. Two days after the ordeal, the family was among the first cyclone-affected people personally visited by Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who commissioned the reconstruction of their house. Construction firm Nasau Builders of Suva finished work on the house on Saturday and the family of five was pleased to move back home, which was rebuilt on the site of the original home in two weeks. Expressing her gratitude, Mrs Lata said she was happy because it was a huge burden taken off their shoulders, particularly as her husband, a carpenter by trade, was out of work. With two of their three children preparing for school at Lovu Sangam Primary School on January 22, the family is pleased to return to some sort of normality after sheltering with neighbours for two weeks. Neighbour Shalochna Devi also had her home rebuilt through Government assistance

Jan 9, 208, 10K is way above the many who work in the private sector. So, government workers better shape up and deliver. Really, the slacko service from all sectors of government and its statutory bodies is the result of arrogant, ignorant and incompetent leadership.

The issue to consider is whether the F$10K salary level as the minimum for all civil servants takes them above the povertty line for Fiji.

If it does, then the increase would mean a lot to these civil servants and subsequently to the nation's cost of living capabilities and standard of living, or vice versa.

On the matter of penalising officers already on F$10K salary all these past years, this depends on a number of considerations but primarily whether these officers have been performing and are productive enough to deserve this take-home pay all these years. Frankly only they know better the answer to this apart from ALMIGHTY GOD in heaven.

In addition I agree with the view that those already on F$10K should have been given an increase by 1 - 3 salary points to keep them above the F$10K level, yes and yes irrespective of the laxity of the performance assessment and evaluation system in place (if there is any).

Meanwhile all government employees should just forget the 10% pay rise (for wage earners) and performance based bonuses (civil servants) in 2014 announced by Government in the 2013 budget address. Such promises on salaries and wages had never been met in the past, so why start now?

Anyway, Government has never repaid fully the slary cuts it made on civil servants pay since 2006...and some of these civil servants are out of the system (forced retirement), being forced out by the Government.

Suffice to say, Government has no means of stopping the brain drain into the private sector or overseas since there is no security of employment in Government. It would be better for BAINIMARAMA TO FILL ALL GOVERNMENT POSITIONS BY HIS ARMY OFFICERS; THIS IS WHAT HE IS DOING AND MAYBE HELP EXISTING CIVIL SERVANTS GET JOBS OUT OF GOVERNMENT OR OVERSEAS. THIS IS BETTER THAN SUDDENLY THROWING THEM OUT LIKE RUBBISH FOR HIS IGNORANT HALF-BAKED FOOT SOLDIERS TO COME IN AND TAKE UP THE POSITIONS.

Finally it was wrong for Government to move back the pay day by a week from January 3 to January 10, 2013. This simply indicate the kind of poor unilateral decision making that happens in this Government.

One should not be surprised because all over the present 2007 - 2012+ Fiji Government at the middle and executive management level as well as at ministerial positions can be found half baked individuals picked from the very dredges of Fiji's academically performing population running government and making decisions for the nation.

ALL HAIL THE DESCENDANTS OF ISHMAEL NOW IN CONTROL MANIPULATING AND NAVIGATING FIJI IN THE SELF INTEREST OF LESS THAN HALF OF FIJI'S POPULATION.

I feel for you SERVANTS [Civil], cause that is what you are really are in the eyes of Voreqe!! I am always amazed to see the large entourage of government vehicles [ a..e lickers] following him around!! Not to mention the flashing lights and tinted vehicles!!We the public are not impressed you idiots. Sa dua na ka na viavia!!